Where is Kenshi? Analyzing the Absence of a Fan Favorite in MK11

As a dedicated player who lives and breathes Mortal Kombat, I was shocked when the MK11 roster was first announced and one character was clearly missing – the telekinetic ronin warrior Kenshi. First introduced in Deadly Alliance back in 2002, Kenshi attracted a passionate fanbase over several game appearances thanks to his slick blind swordsmanship, psychic telekinetic powers, and storied backstory of vengeance. So why did this quick-rising fan favorite fail to unsheathe his Sento blade for the latest tournament of champions? As someone obsessed with all aspects of MK lore, I‘ve got some in-depth analysis around why Kenshi missed the kut for MK11.

Development Priorities and Roster Size Limitations

With 25 starting characters, MK11 actually has one of the deepest base rosters in the entire series, topped only by Armageddon‘s whopping 62 fighters. And analyzing the roster choices, NetherRealm clearly prioritized their most iconic staples and all-time fan faves first. Of course series protagonists and eternal rivals Scorpion and Sub-Zero claimed their expected spots alongside fellow OG kombatants like Liu Kang and Johnny Cage. And seeing legacy characters like Nightwolf, Kabal, and Sindel return brought joy to this Moloch-masked superfan.

But apparently hitting that magic number of 25 base roster fighters meant some tough cuts, even for more recent fan favorites like Kenshi. Looking at previous NetherRealm releases, MKX and Injustice 2 launched with 24 and 28 base fighters respectively, so MK11 is already an outlier. Could additional development and production challenges around MK11‘s custom character variation system have forced stricter roster caps due to balancing concerns? It‘s hard to say for sure, but in getting to 25 fighters including some surprising returning classics, Kenshi could have been edged out slightly.

The Themes and Story of MK11

Analyzing MK11‘s overarching themes could provide more clues behind some roster exclusions like everyone‘s favorite sightless swordsman. This tournament has an intricate time travel based plot more tightly focused on correcting and resetting past events tied to a few central characters and their intricate destinies. Major players in this unfolding temporal drama include icons like Raiden, Liu Kang, Kitana, Jade, Kung Lao, plus baddies Kronika, Shinnok, and past versions of characters already mentioned.

Unfortunately for Kenshi fans, he has never been integral to the central MK narratives around the Earthrealm vs Outworld conflict or the winding paths of fate for legacy heroes and villains. His vendetta against Shang Tsung connects him more closely to plotlines from Deadly Alliance and Deception rather than the classic tournament storylines MK11 draws most heavily from. And looking at Kenshi‘s minor role in MKX‘s prequel comic, his relevance to the overarching direction was already fading even before MK11 kicked off the temporal tampering. Could tying into the game‘s themes and central time travel mechanic have worked against our favorite blind bloke?

Holding Out Hope for DLC

While Kenshi didn‘t make the initial MK11 roster, diehard supporters like myself still have hope that he could teleport into the game via DLC down the road. Looking back, five additional fighters were added as DLC for Injustice 2 and an impressive nine more kombatants got packed into MKX‘s Kombat Packs. Ed Boon and NetherRealm definitely aren‘t shy about developing extra DLC assets and content for ongoing revenue streams in their polished, Triple-A fighters.

And fans haven‘t been shy requesting Kenshi‘s inclusion either, as seen on MK subreddit and forum posts eagerly hoping to manifest his arrival as a secret unlockable or future DLC. His absence felt notable enough for fans to loudly speak up about it already, making him seem like a primed candidate for eventual DLC inclusion. As DLC plans develop for 2023 and beyond, here‘s hoping the team over at NetherRealm still has grand plans to bring Kenshi‘s Sento blades into the next phase of MK11 content!

Redundancy With Ermac, or Room For More Telekinetics?

Some have speculated that with mystically empowered telekinetic ninja Ermac already occupying a roster slot, the similarly psychic and mystic Kenshi may have been passed over for redundancy reasons. And while these two blindfolded fighters share some stylistic similarities on the surface, looking deeper reveals more significant contrasts that argue for inclusion of both on any dream roster.

While both channel soul energy into telekinetic powers, Kenshi employs his psychically-charged Sento blade for more grounded, weapon-focused combat mixing both armed and unarmed attacks compared to Ermac‘s full commitment to floaty psychic slams and bursts. Their signatures moves, x-ray attacks, and outlandishly gruesome fatalities all offer diverse flavors as well. Couldn‘t we use TWO blind psychics with supernatural powers on the roster rather than just one? I know this Kenshi fanatic would relish seeing them face off in a telekinetic battle of magic katanas vs hovering split-legged slams!

So in summary, while I can rationalize some likely reasons behind his absence, as a lover of all things Mortal Kombat it pains me to raise my sword alone when I‘d rather be celebrating Kenshi‘s return. If timelines get reopened for additional roster additions, here‘s hoping our favorite telekinetic sworsdman gets to rejoin Earthrealm‘s fight once more!